A well-plotted canine adventure that ably integrates social-emotional themes.
In this middle-grade, action-packed canine adventure, 2B and his shelter mate Maurice find adventure and companionship in their quest for forever homes.
2B, a mixed-breed canine, has resided at Best-ever Adoption Residence for Canines for most of his life. After his favorite owner and chef, Dragana, leaves behind 2B, he lives in three unique homes. First, he inhabits a well-manicured residence, which he ransacks to convey his loneliness. After the owners return him to BARC, Doreen and Dwayne adopt him. The couple plans on dolling him up, showing him at PoodlePalooza, and somehow cashing in. But when things go awry, they abandon him in the middle of nowhere. On his return to BARC, he and neighbor Maurice are adopted to serve as hunting dogs. But they’re brought back to the shelter when they find truffles instead of birds. Back at BARC again, the unthinkable happens: A mysterious explosion destroys the shelter. As 2B and Maurice stand by while Officer Stanley Mieczyslaw and Ginger Georges of Working Like a Dog, an organization that trains dogs for law enforcement, investigate, the dogs realize Ginger might need their services. So, the canines do what they can to impress Ginger, work for WLAD, and, ultimately, stay together. They land the gig, and while on their missions, they grasp the importance of teamwork and companionship. What they find is in the end, their noses serve them well, earning them the title of “24-Karat” dogs. Former educator and writer Neuschwander’s tale uses age-appropriate sensory details to engage young readers while educating students about dogs in a subtle, appealing manner. The plot development builds suspense as the dogs face various trials. Best of all, the story encourages connection and teamwork as the dogs rely on each other—with their individual strengths and weaknesses—to accomplish one goal. Although there are moments when some of the smaller quests are a bit slow to unfold, this is a fun novel reminiscent of Chris Grabenstein’s Dog Squad (2021).
A well-plotted canine adventure that ably integrates social-emotional themes.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2023
ISBN: 9798218172794
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Chocolate Puddle Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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